The Compass Rose watch box
This one-of-a-kind piece was born from a long process of precision and patience.
Designed for a watch collector, it had to fulfil two purposes: provide refined storage and give the box a strong visual identity.
That identity was built around an intricate sixteen-point compass rose in marquetry, composed from several woods with very different colours and characters.
Marquetry constructed with precision
The compass rose combines rosewood, maple, padauk and walnut.
The design depends on the meeting of highly contrasting veneers, fitted precisely to preserve the regularity of the motif and the definition of all sixteen points.
Maple brings light, padauk a more vivid colour, while walnut and rosewood give the composition depth.
The alternating woods create a natural relief effect. Depending on the direction of the light and the viewing angle, the design appears to change in depth.
Sixteen points, one balance
A compass rose of this complexity requires great consistency.
Every part of the motif must find its place in relation to the others. A slight inaccuracy in an angle or in veneer thickness is enough to disturb the overall balance.
The work is therefore not simply a matter of assembling different woods. It involves progressively constructing a coherent geometry in which all lines converge on the same centre.
That precision gives the motif its character and makes the marquetry the central element of the box.
A case for a watch collection
Behind the decorative work, the box retains a practical purpose: protecting and presenting a collection of watches.
The interior was designed as a true presentation case, with organised storage for the different pieces in the collection.
The structure also conceals a secret compartment.
Invisible at first glance, it adds a more personal dimension and extends the idea of an object that gradually reveals itself beyond its exterior appearance.
Several months devoted to one piece
The Compass Rose watch box was made over several months.
The complexity of the marquetry, the fitting of the different woods and the construction of the box required time, precision and many stages of work.
This piece represents an exploration of geometry, contrasting woods and precise execution.
It naturally belongs among the workshop’s Honourable Pieces: as the record of an ambitious commission, made for a collector and built around a motif that became the heart of the project.
